Chrysler Repair: 00 cirrus starts/ shift to reverse and dies, mixture control, fuel mixture

Question
Thanks for your response,It does'nt matter how long it runs at first 1min or 15min it still dies as soon as i move the shifter but if i take it to a shop it starts and drives just fine. it seems to happen almost every day, morn/night there is no pattern. 2.4 dohc a/t 82000 miles changed plugs @55000 Today i checked the autoshutdown relay its fine but the car cranks and drives at this time, its just so random i can't pin it down
thanks again. David-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
you never know when its going to happen,I start it
it will run just fine as long as i keep it in park
as soon as i move the shifter out of park it dies
and will not start afterwards, it cranks but don't
start. after some time it starts again and may do
just fine. some sort of electrical problem?
i'm ready for it to go away!
Answer -
Hi David,
Does it die equally likely if you shift into drive rather than into reverse? When it doesn't die, does it nonetheless stumble and threaten to die? If yes to both of those, then I would suspect there is something with the idle speed situation or fuel mixture control; if no to both them then there is possibly something with the electrical connections between the shifter and engine controller as regards the reverse shift motion electrical connection, and if yes/no then the shifter electrical connection regardless of which position you shift it to. But I need to do more study of the circuit, in any case but knowing would help me.  
What if you let it idle for a minute or two before shifting, is it more liable to run o.k.?
Anyother engine driveability problem?
How long since plugs were changed, and which engine do you have?
If you can give me some direction on these questions I will try to focus in on the cause.
Roland

Answer
Hi David,
I take it that it hasn't shown to be dependent upon whether you shift to drive or to reverse, either way is equally likely to die.
There are a couple of things I would do. First, as with any no start you should test for spark at a spark plug wire when the engine dies and refuses to start. Remove the spark plug cap/boot from any plug and insert an old plug instead, then hold the threaded shell of the plug against the head and see if you get spark while a helper cranks over the engine. That way you will know if it is electrical or prehaps a fuel issue. Alternatively you could put a screwdriver with a plastic handle in the spark cap/boot and hold the handle and boot so the shaft of the driver is 1/4" from the cylinder head and have a helper crank the engine and observe for spark to jump from the shaft to the block or not while the helper cranks the engine for no more than 5 seconds.
Second you could have both the engine controller and the trans controller memories readout for the presence of fault codes that would be consistent with a die off of the engine. Let me know what the code number(s) if any are for both units and we'll see if they ar consistent with die off.
The only obvious electrical unit is a transmission range sensor that detects where the shifter is positioned and sends an electrical signal to the trans controller about that. It might be flakey, or has a bad interconnection. It is associated with the valve body which is the box on the side of the trans that faces the front of the car. You have to remove the pans and drain the trans fluid and then remove the box and then open the box to inspect/change this sensor if necessary. But before you do that you could remove the plug for the sensor, located on the top of the box near the gearshift selector rod and inspect it for corrosion or other wiring problem. Then you could test its pins with an ohmmeter to see if it is behaving as one would expect, electrically, and if not then change it for a new one in the hope that it would be a cure for the problem. Let me know if you are able to measure continuity or ohms with a meter and are interested in testing the unit electically. I can tell you what to expect from the various pins when the trans is in the various trans gear setings.
So those are some ideas to consider.
Roland